The Thomas More Law Center has filed a lawsuit on behalf of high school student Brenda Brinsdon, who in her Spanish 3 class in September 2011 was told to stand and pledge allegiance to the Mexican flag and sing the Mexican Anthem. Brenda refused. The rest of the class complied. The teacher, Reyna Santos along with Principal Yvette Cavasos, tried numerous ways to force Brenda to “pledge,” and “sing.” The McAllen School District said they would do a “review,” apparently not understanding what combining the words “pledge” and “allegiance” means when they become a command. Texas State Representative Roberto Alonzo said to question the loyalty of the teacher and the school district is unfair Roberto Alonzo. At the time, Brenda was removed from the class. She is fluent in Spanish and the daughter of a Mexican immigrant. There is little information on what has happened in the one-plus year since the incident, but the lawsuit was announced yesterday.

Reyna Santos

The school claims this was a single assignment but students also had to stand individually and recite the pledge – which went on for several days. Brenda offered to recite the pledge to the American flag in Spanish, but that wasn’t acceptable.

When the time came for the students to stand up and recite the Mexican pledge, Brenda Brinsdon refused. Brenda, born in the United States, is the daughter of a Mexican immigrant and an American father. Brenda is fluent in Spanish and English and is proud of her Mexican heritage, but she is a true blooded American. So to Brenda, the words of the pledge have a deep meaning. Her conscience and patriotism would not allow her to participate in the assignment. She believed it was ‘un-American’ and she was exercising her constitutional right not to be forced to pledge allegiance to Mexico. The school punished her for her refusal.

The longstanding Supreme Court decision, West Virginia State Bd. of Educ. v. Barnette, (1943), and the school district’s own policy prohibit a school from compelling students to recite the American Pledge of Allegiance. However, the School District ignored those rules when Brenda Brinsdon refused to recite the Mexican pledge…

Santos gave Brenda an alternate assignment; write an essay on the Independence of Mexico. While performing above average on all previous assignments in the class, Brenda completed this assignment on time but was given a failing grade. She was also required to sit in class over the next several days and listen to student after student reciting the Mexican pledge.

Following the incident, Brenda was involuntarily removed from her Spanish class. She spent the class hour in the school’s office, even though she requested to return to the classroom. Brenda was also given a failing grade on her report card, which was later corrected. Source: Thomas More Law Center

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First: Pledging Allegiance to a foreign power is illegal for American citizens unless they renounce their American citizenship first. Thus the teacher and principal both are in violation of Federal Law and can be punished under the statute.

Second: Why are they giving the Nazi Salute? Are they promoting the aims and views of the American Nazi Party? Do they wish to insult Jewish students? I think with the later it would be a moot point since yes most educators are would insult a Jewish student to make a point and if the “lesson plan” demanded it. I do believe that in the German class the teacher will put a picture of Adolf Hitler and lead the class in the singing of the Horst Wessel Song.

http://maggiesnotebook.com Maggie

findais, I thought of the same thing when I saw that salute. What in the world does a salute like that mean?

I’m inclined to agree with Findalis, coercing children to declare their loyalty to a foreign power comes very close to treason.. Things have changed over the last fifty years, but not long ago, since the teacher is a naturalized citizen she’d have been at risk to lose her citizenship and be deported,

http://maggiesnotebook.com Maggie

Grumpy, we can’t charge anyone with treason these days, because hating the U.S. is not considered treason. I agree with both you and findalis.

http://proof-proofpositive.blogspot.com/ proof

“Brenda offered to recite the pledge to the American flag in Spanish, but that wasn’t acceptable.” That kinda says it all, doesn’t it? If they were concerned with teaching Spanish, they would focus on spelling, grammar, punctuation and pronunciation, more than content.

Ms. Brinsdon is to be commended for not buckling under peer pressure and the pressure brought upon her by her teacher and the administration.

http://maggiesnotebook.com Maggie

Proof, yeah, this school has an agenda and it isn’t an American one and has nothing to do with learning Spanish at the higher level Brenda was participating in. These stories make me so incredibly angry. She did well by herself and her family.

Kathleen

This whole thing is totally whacko! But, just so I can become even more incensed, can someone post (in English!) the words of the Mexican Pledge? Thanks!

Mexican flag
legacy from our heroes
symbol of the unity of our parents
and our brothers

We promise you:

To be always loyal
to the principles of freedom and justice
that makes this an independant,
human and generous nation ,
to which we dedicate our existence.

http://maggiesnotebook.com Maggie

Proof, thanks for providing this. Kathleen’s question was a good one. I appreciate your answering it for all of us.

http://maggiesnotebook.com Maggie

Kathleen, great question. Hope you saw that Proof came through with the pledge.

http://proof-proofpositive.blogspot.com/ proof

Funny how the teacher and principal who are promoting this are both female. The Mexican pledge looks a little patriarchal to me. “de nuestros Padres
y de nuestros Hermanos” looks like “our fathers and our brothers” to me, not parents and brothers.
Sorry ladies! Our mothers, aunties, sisters, grannies and girlfriends don’t seem to rate a spot at the table here!